Exhibiting and Promoting Your Art Work

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I had in the past downplayed the idea of exhibiting my work, or never attempted to apply for any available artists grants. It was one of the main reasons I returned to University to complete my Fine Art degree. I needed to get out of my comfort zone, over come my fear, get over myself, my preconceived notions and misconceptions and really learn about the business of art and being an artist.

Many art students and artists are not comfortable in promoting or marketing themselves for a whole host of reasons. During our art education we are often not schooled in the marketing end of art. Art is business and we can, and need to educate, and advocate for ourselves, fine tune our skills through a number of resources, instead of the hit and miss lessons we often learn the hard way, that can be disheartening, disillusioning, and set us up for discouragement and failure; all those 'd' words.

Business skill is such an important matter for any artist. As an artist of a mature age who returned to University at 56 to complete my BFA degree, that I had started way back in the early 70s at NSCAD. At that time, there was next to nothing in the way of learning about self-promotion as an artist, or being educated in the business of art and marketing. Having the opportunity to return to art school, I did in fact see some improvements in this area, but there is still much work to be done in terms of educating and preparing the art student about self- promotion, and the fundamentals of business, particularly relating to the art world which can be very daunting.

Agora Art Gallery has a great article entitled, How to Promote Your Exhibition in 9 Steps in their blog about getting reading for an exhibition that is very helpful and informative in preparing the artist to promote their work and how to go about doing so through a number of promotional and logistical steps.

I don't need to loose my ear!

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh


It is my belief that practical business/ commerce knowledge and skills are vital to all artists to aquire.

More often than not, our work is undervalued। As artists we don't need to contribute to this by short selling ourselves or over pricing and perpetuating the stereotype of the starving and long suffering artist that lives in a garret!

As an artist, that has returned to university to complete my Bachelor of Fine Art, I am painfully aware of how students are not given the business skills regarding, marketing and selling their work etc.

This was even more so the situation in my early years as an art student at NSCAD in the 70s. Today in art school it is still prevalent, but fortunately art students have the opportunity to access commerce related information if they seek it out, and Professors encourage and reinforce the importance of having commerce as part of your education in art school.

Studying and understanding how to market yourself as an artist, I would dare to say is perceived as diametrical to what it means to be an artist, to the point of being a sacrilege. This is also a myth, making us victims of our own persona's in which we are perceived as never needing or wanting to seriously consider the material or monetary in terms of our practice or careers.

This is not a moral high ground nor should it be. I am certain no artist wants or chooses poverty as their lot in life, loosing an ear or madness in order to be an artist! Please, hang on to your ears!